Westward Expansion - Page Text Content

1: The Indian Removal Act In this act Indians of America were forced to leave their lands, and forced to relocate. The pictures above are of the Cherokee Trail of Tears. They were forced to move from their homes to a reservation. it was a long punishing journey for them. Many other tribes had to do the same.

2: The Erie Canal The Erie Canal was built to grant access to boats to travel back and forth. They would be able to bring supplies and many other things to towns. It was a very effective way to travel. It took two years to dig and opened in 1825

3: The Gold Rush It started in 1848 . Many miners flocked to seek a fortune. Many people left their old lives behind to go and search for gold. some found gold. others ended up bankrupt.

4: The Oregon Trail The Oregon trail was a route for settlers to get out west. It was a 2000 mile long journey for those who decided to take it. It usually took about six months to make it all the way there. It was first used by fur traders, but settlers soon followed them. it was a very effective way for settlers to get west.

5: Yosemite National Park | The park was first inhabited by native Americans. Later miners came to the park. They were searching for gold. In 1855 Abraham Lincoln made the park into a public reserve

6: The Pony Express | it was a business that delivered mail over a 2000 mile long route. It started in April 1860 to October 1861. It lasted until they came out with the telegraph. It was a great way to deliver mail.

7: Settlers They were a poor type of people that settled in rural areas. Most had very little money or provisions. Many came west on the Oregon trail. Some of them farmed or tried to search for gold in rural areas.

8: Aristocrats of the West | Many rich people moved west. Some built railroads, and some struck it rich searching for gold. They had fancy clothes. Many wore top hats and fancy coats. They has lots of money.

9: Andrew Jackson He was the second president of the United States. He came up with the idea of moving the American Indians off there land. Before he was president he was a famous and sort of ruthless general. He was not known to be the nicest president.

10: Relations with Britain In 1817 a convention was held to end disputes with Great Britain. They signed the Rush-Bagot Treaty which limited the navel vessels on the great lakes. In 1818 they agreed on a border for the Louisiana territory. they agreed on the 49th parallel. It also allowed people to settle in the Oregon country.

11: The War with Mexico In 1830 the Spanish cut off immigration to Texas. This made the Texans very mad. A war soon followed. During the war the battle of the Alamo was a big cry to rally. Eventually the United Sates won. In 1844 Texas became a state.

12: Jackson and the Bank Andrew Jackson did not like the bank system. The bank was made up of private bankers and not elected officials.The owners thought of a bill to keep the bank open. Jackson decided to veto the bill. later he decided to not sign a charter for the bank, and it soon closed.

13: The Panic of 1837 | In 1837 an economic depression occurred that hurt the nation. Business and employment fell to very low levels. Later they formed an independent federal treasury.

14: Immigration in the West | Immigration was a big part of the west. They usually got very low paying jobs. Some were almost made into slaves. It was hard for them to fit in and live a normal life in the west

15: Mountain Men These brave men went into the mountains to live. Lots of them trapped furs for money or for food. They hunted regularly for food. It was a very tough life to live.

16: The Cotton Gin The cotton gin was produced by Eli Whitney. It revolutionized the cotton industry. It separated the seeds from the raw cotton fibers. It was a very effective tool

17: The John Deere Plow This plow helped revolutionize the farming industry. The blade was made of metal instead of wood.This made it easier to plow the fields. older plows were wooden and could easily break. The steel plow of the John Deere one worked like a charm.

18: The steam Locomotive | This machine helped to get people, goods, and mail to rural places. it used steam to run. Now people could get to places much faster.It could bring supplies to rural areas.

19: Conclusion What was the cause of westward expansion? The cause of westward expansion was land. When Jefferson made the Louisiana purchase land sold for very cheap. This meant that people could settle for very low cost. Who did not benefit from westward expansion? The American Indians did not benefit at all. Their land was taken from them. Many of them were also killed in fights or in removal Disease killed many as well. How did past decisions affect future choices? When the government removed Indians it showed them they could keep doing it. The Indian removal act set the stage of how American Indians were to be treated How did People view their world? They thought that their world was pretty good. Since land was so cheap even poorer people could afford some land. There was also gold to search for. There were lots of new opportunities for people to take advantage of. Most were pretty happy. What can we learn from the past? We can learn to treat other cultures better than we have. We have to let some other people live among us. We also have to learn how to treat everyone equally.